Article 36/2022

On what basis did the labour appeal court recently, in SA Teachers Union obo Kruger v Gauteng Department of Education and Others (2021) 32 SALLR 12 (LAC); (2021) 42 ILJ 827 (LAC), determine that the remedies of compensation and reinstatement cannot be granted simultaneously?

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The principles identified by the court entail, amongst others, the following:

in the case of a dismissal for misconduct or incapacity: being substantively or substantively and procedurally unfair

  • the primary relief is reinstatement or re-employment
  • the employee is to resume employment on the same terms and conditions as at the date of dismissal
  • the extent of retrospectivity is dependent on the discretion to be exercised by the arbitrator – the only limitation on such discretion is that it cannot be fixed earlier than the actual date of dismissal
  • compensation is an alternative relief to the primary relief and is mutually exclusive to the remedies of reinstatement/re-employment

dismissal for operational requirements/automatically unfair: substantively or substantively and procedurally unfair

  • the same principles as set out above apply here subject to s193(3) of the LRA – in addition, any other order may be made as considered to be appropriate

dismissal for misconduct/incapacity/operational requirements/automatically unfair: procedurally only unfair

  • in terms of s193(2)(d) of the LRA, no reinstatement/re-employment is applicable but only compensation
June 12, 2025

In terms of s34(1) of the BCEA, an employer may not make deductions from an employee’s remuneration unless, subject to s34(2), the employee agrees, in writing, or the deduction is made in terms of a law, collective agreement, court order or arbitration award.

June 5, 2025

A case is moot and therefore not justiciable if it no longer presents an existing or live controversy. With reference to National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality and Others v Minister of Home Affairs and Others [1999] ZACC 17; 2000 (2) SA 1 (CC), how did the supreme court of appeal, in Mhlontlo Local Municipality and Others v Ngcangula and Another (2024) 35 SALLR 132 (SCA) recently deal with this issue?

May 29, 2025

The principle underlying the doctrine of peremption is that no person can be allowed to take up two positions inconsistent with one another, or, as is commonly expressed, to blow hot and cold, to approbate and reprobate when considering pursuing litigation. With reference to Qoboshiyane NO v Avusa Publishing Eastern Cape [2012] ZASCA 166; 2013 (3) SA 315 (SCA), what is the test to be applied to determine whether or not a party has perempted its right to institute legal proceedings?